Pokérus
by ZeltheWeavile
Summary: Over a decade has passed since the events of Team Rainbow Rocket, over in the Alola region. All seven regions are living peacefully, without any fear of another Team rising up to conquer the world That is, until a scientist discovers something that will change the world- Pokémon are becoming untamed monsters because of it. People are dying And the worst part is, there is no cure
1. Prologue

**(Please note that this is labeled T for a reason. If you are okay with blood, sickness, and death, then please continue. If not, then I wouldn't suggest reading this story. The age group I recommend for this story are older teens, but I am not going to force you to not read this. You have been warned.)**

In the peaceful region of Sinnoh, eleven years after the events of Team Rainbow Rocket...

"Another one?"

"Yes," I replied to him. Beside me stood my Espeon, Astrid. Her coat was a strange violet color, much unlike the usual lavender color of any other Espeon. She stared up at me as if waiting for me to explain.

"How many has it been so far?" The scientist asked, poking his head up to look at me. His black hair brushed against his face, and he pushed it to the side with his hand.

I took a deep breath, thinking whether to tell him or not. I eventually made my mind. "This is the twentieth case this month. No fatalities have been reported yet, and people are getting nothing more than a few minor scratches."

The scientist glanced down for a second, in deep thought. Finally he spoke up. "Mr. Fletcher, don't you want to find out what is causing this sudden change in Pokémon? Nothing has ever happened like this before."

I sighed. "Of course I want to find out the cause. That's why I am looking at these Pokémon, trying to discover why exactly this is happening." Beside me, Astrid whined a tiny bit, but I ignored her.

"What was the last Pokémon affected?" He asked, moving on from my short speech.

I went around the desk and tossed him a few papers. "The last case was a Pidove, and that was a few hours ago." I noticed him filing through the papers I had given him. "Two days ago was a couple of Bidoof and an Eevee." Beside me, Astrid winced upon hearing that one of the victims was an Eevee, her basic form.

"Have there been any cases of a nonbasic Pokémon becoming affected?" He set the papers down and gave me a cold look.

"No, there haven't... sir." I had to win some favoritism from him. He was second-in-command here after all. To be honest, I was a bit surprised when I was hired for this job as a scientist, despite my young age of sixteen. But I guess that's what being homeschooled until age ten, and then graduating college at thirteen could do. Yes, I'm not ashamed to admit it; I am very gifted.

A small smile formed on his face; whether it was because of the news I had given him or me calling him sir, I couldn't be sure. "Then this is okay. So far, only basic Pokémon are being affected by whatever this is. This means that whatever is causing this to happen isn't strong enough to affect stage 1 or stage 2 Pokémon."

I glanced away, my gaze locking on Astrid. "Yes, however..."

"However...?" He pressed.

"However, basic Pokémon make up about two-thirds of the entire Pokémon population. And on top of that, it's spreading rapidly. An average of two cases a day."

If he heard me, he gave no sign of it.

"Mr. Fletcher, Mr. K." Both of us looked up at a woman carrying two metal crates in her hands. They shook violently from the creatures inside.

"Professor Rose," I greeted her. From the corner of my eye I noticed Mr. K give her a nod of acknowledgement. I blinked and directed my attention to the crates she was holding.

"These are several of the Pokémon that have been recently affected," she informed us, a bit out of breath from having to carry them all this way. With a single nod to Astrid, my Espeon lifted the crates from her hands using Psychic. "Thank you, Astrid," I heard her sigh in relief.

Astrid nodded at her. "Esp."

The crates were brought and lifted onto a large table in a corner of the room. I followed them and peeked inside, curiosity getting the better of me. Immediately I was met with violent growling and vain attempts to attack me. I drew back, startled.

I glanced back at Astrid. "Use Yawn," I instructed. She nodded and jumped onto the table in front of the crates and gave a huge yawn. I could hear yawns echoing from the crates and I knew it was only a matter of time before the Pokémon inside fell asleep.

Sure enough, the growling eventually stopped, and the banging upon the door ceased. "They're asleep." I waited a few more moments before opening the door and looking at the Pokémon inside.

A Starly and Buneary were in the first crate, and a Shinx in the other. "This is getting out of hand. With the first case reported nearly a month ago, and these are our twenty-first, twenty-second, and twenty-third Pokémon since then," Professor Rose said and brushed her hair away from her face before getting a red lock and twirling it on her finger. I had discovered that she does this when she was worried or stressed.

I picked up the unconscious Shinx in my arms and looked at her. "Yes, it is. But with any luck, these Pokémon could be the key to finding out what in the world is going on."

I turned and started walking towards a door to another room. Astrid picked up the remaining two Pokémon using her Psychic and followed me out. "Thank you again, Professor Rose. You've been a great help in all of this."

Professor Rose smiled at my praise. Yes, I was a few years younger than her, but my smarts are what got me in this job in the first place. My words meant a lot, especially to someone like her. I noticed that she was no longer twirling her hair, and smiled to myself before exiting the room. Everybody knew exactly what I was going to do anyway, and trusted me. Well, almost everybody. Mr. K still seemed to hate me for some reason. And besides, I had Astrid with me. What could possibly go wrong?

I placed the Pokémon on a lab table and put on a pair of gloves and a mask for myself. After glancing quickly over the three, I found that they all had one thing in common; there was a huge mark somewhere on each of them, deep enough to have drawn blood. Then I fetched some small oxygen masks and placed them on the Pokémon to make sure they were breathing. I gave them each the smallest amount of anesthesia to guarantee that they would remain asleep. I then placed heart monitors over them to keep track of their heart rate.

I worked for a long while by myself, my only help coming from Astrid as she handed me the supplies I needed. I preferred to work alone, rather than with someone else. Besides, it's not like I was doing anything too severe.

Astrid brought over a small tray, which I gratefully set the blood samples onto. I had them all labeled, along with the date and time. This was necessary to determine what exactly was going on. I glanced back at the heart monitors. All good.

I called the main lab area on the speaker and the door opened a few moments later. "Hello?" Professor Rose said to me. I nodded to her.

"Can you please bring the crates in here; we need to get them into there before they wake up." Of course I knew that they weren't going to wake up anytime soon; it would be at least another hour or two at the least, but I wanted to have them out of my sight.

Professor Rose nodded and left the room.

Yes, I was a scientist. And yes, I have a doctorate degree, but that doesn't mean I like to see others hurt. Part of being a doctor- one who heals others- means hurting them first. It still bothered me every time I had to do something like this.

Professor Rose came back in, carrying the two crates. We opened them up and carefully set the first two in the crate together. When it was time for the Shinx, though, I hesitated.

"Professor, do you know if all of these Pokémon were Wild?" I asked slowly, my gaze never leaving the blue lion cub Pokémon.

She seemed confused at first, but sighed. "Not all of these were wild, no. There are a few so far that were owned by Trainers."

I nodded slowly. "Alright... thank you for that information." I picked up the Shinx and placed it down in the crate as gently as I could. Still I looked at it.

"Mr, Fletcher? Is something bothering you?" The Professor asked quietly. She began playing with her long, red hair again; she was nervous.

I quickly shook my head. "No, of course not." And then, just to prove it, I placed a hand on her shoulder lightly. Then it was gone as I moved away and towards the computers, bringing the three blood samples from the Pokémon here. "Just out of curiosity," I began as I entered the first blood sample into a machine hooked into the computers. "Do you know if that Shinx belonged to anyone?"

The computers began to read the data and she nodded. "Yes, it belonged to a girl. I believe her name was-" she stopped short as a quiet wheeze caught our attention.

I ran to the crates and opened them up. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. I scooped up the Shinx; it was the one in critical danger. "Oxygen mask!" I shouted to Professor Rose. She darted to get one and pressed it to the Shinx's muzzle. Its breaths were short and barely noticeable. "No, no..." I muttered quietly.

The Shinx was suddenly still and silent. I felt around for its heartbeat in fear, but was unable to find it. "No!" I yelled loudly. I checked everywhere for a pulse, breath, movement, anything. Nothing.

I lowered my head in defeat. "It's dead..." I murmured. "The first death since this plague, and it's all my fault."

"Hey," Professor Rose said gently and wiped a tear from her own face. "It's not your fault." And then she surprised me by wrapping her arms around my back in a hug. It was sad and full of pain, but I was grateful for her support.

I set the Shinx down carefully on the table and petted its long, soft fur. Still warm... My eyes closed in anger at myself, until I felt something wrap around my hand. Beside me, Professor Rose was looking at me worriedly, her hand holding mine. We looked at each other in a grief-filled silence for several moments.

And then the computers beeped, letting us know what it had found from the blood samples. I looked through it and blinked. _No, this can't be right_. I read it again in disbelief.

I shook my head and typed into the computer for it to redo the test; something must've happened because that answer doesn't make any sense at all.

A few more moments passed and it beeped again. Same result. Still unable to accept this, I redid the rest, but with a different blood sample.

It beeped and I dared to read the words on the screen. There, in large words was a simple word that made no sense whatsoever. Pokérus*.

_How? Pokérus is used for making Pokémon stronger. It never affected Pokémon negatively, so why now?_ Then I noticed the star next to the word.

"What did you find?" Professor Rose asked gently, and I started, forgetting that she was there too.

"Pokérus," I answered. "That's what's responsible for all of this."

"What?" She put a hand to her mouth. "But how? Why? I thought it was a good virus."

I shook my head. "No."

She thought slowly. "Unless..." she trailed off and I looked at her to continue. "Unless it mutated somehow, like other viruses and bacteria do to resist medicines."

"But there was never a cure for Pokérus in the first place. The only thing people suggested was to wait for a few days." I countered.

"And maybe that's the reason." She looked to me as realization came upon her face. "It might have mutated within a Pokémon, and that parent passed it down to its child, where it mutated again. So now we have a strange virus that affects Pokémon negatively, making them deadly, and apparently..." she glanced at the Shinx sadly.

"It can kill them as well," I finished for her. Then I thought. "But then why are there new cases every day? We bring in every infected Pokémon here to keep it away from others. They're all with Boss."

"That, I don't know exactly," she admitted. "But for now, we need to get these two to him. He will want to see them and keep track of all infected Pokémon."

I nodded. "And also, we need to spread the word. Pokérus is deadly, and no longer a useful tool for Trainers." My gaze lingered on Shinx and I felt a fresh pang of sympathy as I saw it, dead. Astrid rubbed her side against my leg, but I hardly felt it. "People need to know."

Professor Rose nodded. "Yes, and I know exactly how to spread the word..."

**2185 words**

**I don't know if this seems like a good story. I came up with this idea a few days ago, and now, here I am, writing the creepiest story about it- and this is only the intro.**

**Also, please note that THIS IS LABELED T. The reason is because of blood/violence, death, sickness, and a lot of other things.**

**Chapter one will come out soon.**


	2. 1- Raegan

**"First, we will let the gyms and Pokémon Centers know what's going on. Many Trainers go to those places, and it won't be hard to tell them there."**

**A few hours earlier...**

"Shadow, use Last Resort!"

The light gray-and-blue Pokémon charged at the Luxray. Although it was a Normal-Type attack, Last Resort was one of the strongest and hit the Pokémon in a Critical Hit, sending it flying back to its Trainer. I smiled and stepped forward to pet Shadow. He lifted his head to my hand, his aqua-blue ring glowing in delight.

Tristian returned his Pokémon with a sigh. "Your Umbreon really is something else, that's for sure." He walked up to me and extended his hand out. "This was a great battle. I hope to battle you again sometime, Raegan."

I nodded and shook his outstretched hand. "You did great too. It wasn't just me and my Pokémon who did good." Shadow grinned and went to Tristian. The bright-yellow-haired male gently rubbed the Umbreon's head.

"Thank you," he said. "Your Umbreon is a strange color. I've never seen one with blue rings."

I smiled. "That's because he's a rare kind of Pokémon; a Shiny, to be more precise."

Tristian nodded in understanding. "I've never seen a real Shiny before. To be honest, I never thought they really existed." He looked down at Shadow again. "Did you evolve him into an Umbreon?"

I shook my head. "No. I actually found him in the wild as an Umbreon."

"Interresting..." Tristian said quietly. Shadow suddenly lifted his gray head and looked to a corner of the room. He tilted his head curiously and went towards the corner.

"Umbree," he said as he went to it. He took a few steps backwards, dragging a small Shinx by its tail.

"Shinx!" It cried out in fear. Shadow tilted his head at Tristian and I questionably.

Tristian smiled and went to the Shinx. He picked it up and stroked its soft, blue fur. "This is an orphaned Shinx. My Luxray, which you saw a few moments ago, takes care of it." I nodded and walked towards the Shinx. He went on. "So far, Luxray and I are the only ones who seem to calm it down."

"Could I try?" I asked and looked at Tristian. He nodded and set the tiny Pokémon in my arms. Immediately it began to squirm and try to leave my grasp. "Hey, hey," I said gently. "Calm down..." I ran my fingers through its fur, admiring the softness it held on its own. A few seconds passed and Shinx closed its eyes comfortably.

"How did you do that?" I looked back up at the blonde. "Are you a Pokémon Whisperer or something?"

I shook my head. "Not really. I've just always been really good at calming Pokémon down." I glanced down again and smiled at the now-sleeping Shinx.

"Here." Tristian handed me a Poké Ball. "You should catch it; it seems to really like you."

I blinked before nodding slowly in understanding. "Thank you," I told him and moved Shinx's head to touch the Poké Ball's white center. A red light encased the blue Electric-Type as it disappeared from my arms.

In Tristian's hand, the Poké Ball's center glowed red three times before it stopped. A bright light came from there instead. "I caught it," I said happily and took the Poké Ball from his hand. "Thank you!"

Tristian smiled at me and patted my head. I blushed a tiny bit; he was attractive and good-looking, not to mention he and I were the same age. In fact, I might even add that he is better-looking than Volkner, the previous gym leader here. He had retired a year ago, and Tristian stepped in. "No problem," he told me, smiling like I was.

That only made me blush a bit more and I turned away instead to Shadow. "Come on, Shadow! Let's go and get stronger before we challenge the Elite Four!"

"Ah, wait!" Tristian called after me. I stopped and looked at him. "Don't forget this," he said and held out a small badge. It was gold and silver colored, shaped like a lighthouse.

I went back over and took the verge gratefully before placing it carefully in my badge-case, where the rest of my badges were kept. "Thank you again!" I shouted as I ran out of there.

"Wait, one more-!" I was already out of there before he finished speaking. I kept running, determined to get to the forest to help my new Shinx train.

I opened every one of my Poké Balls so the rest of my Pokémon could join in Shadow's and my run. All around us, my Pokémon came out and ran beside me. Gi, Cookie, Onyx, and Roselynn; Garchomp, Infernape, Onix, and Roserade, all side-by-side. I opened Shinx's Poké Ball so I could carry it in my arms. The small blue lion cub looked around, amazed, at my Pokémon Team.

Gi ran in front, her purple body racing around the trees. Close behind her was Cookie. The Infernape would not lose without a fight. Granted neither of them knew where they were going, but neither one would lose easily.

Roselynn had leapt onto Onyx to avoid dirtying her flowery hands. Onyx didn't seem to mind and raced onward beside me. On my other side ran Shadow, his blue rings glowing every time they were covered by a shadow from a tree.

Cookie and Gi eventually slowed down and stopped at a small patch of grass. "What's up?" I asked as the rest of my Pokémon and I caught up to them. Cookie shuffled his feet a bit, uncomfortable. I blinked at him, but ignored my thoughts and focused instead on Shinx... I think I'll call him Bolt.

"Hey, Bolt. How about you train here so you can become stronger?" Bolt blinked his eyes at me and slowly nodded. "Great!" I placed him down on the ground and walked away to search for a wild Pokémon for him to battle.

Eventually I heard the grass rustle nearby. "Bolt! Come over here!" I called to my new Shinx. He seemed a bit confused by his new nickname, but ran to my side nonetheless. Shadow followed him and explained what to do. Bolt nodded slowly in understanding and stood in front of me, where I had found a small Buneary. I had no need for it, and besides, Bolt needed the experience.

The Buneary turned and looked at both Bolt and me. I got goosebumps and shivers all down my arms and back. It blinked its eyes before suddenly charging right at us.

"Quick Attack!" I commanded Bolt. He rammed headfirst into the rabbit, knocking it back. The Buneary didn't seem affected at all, and ran back towards us. It attacked with Quick Attack as well, just as Bolt had done, but with surprising speed.

Its pupils were tiny; not at all normal. Bolt didn't have any time to dodge as he was thrown back with such power that he hit his side on a large, jagged rock. A long scratch ran down his side, and he whimpered in pain. I quickly took out my Poké Ball to return it, but the Buneary wasn't finished.

It leapt onto Shinx, biting viciously. Bolt screamed in pain from the scratch, as well as from the Buneary's strong teeth.

"Return!" I commanded as a red light enveloped my Shinx. However, the Buneary would not let him go, and bit harder into his paw. Bolt let out a loud wail before his head suddenly collapsed. Buneary continued to attack him, even after knocking him out. "Stop!" I yelled at it. It turned its face to me, blood dribbling from its mouth. And then, it charged right at me.

I stepped back, but Shadow got there first and slashed out a paw at the Buneary. It fell to the ground, dead instantly. I didn't have any time to ponder that idea and instead rushed to Bolt. I picked him up and handed him to Cookie. "Run to the Pokémon Center as fast as you can!" I instructed. With him being the fastest member on my Team, I knew that he would bring Bolt to safety quickly.

My Infernape nodded and dashed off through the forest. Gi glanced at me before following after him.

I returned all of my Pokémon except for Shadow. And then, with a last look at the Buneary, I ran after my two Pokémon, Shadow at my side.

We ran on and on in silence, and now I had the time and opportunity to contemplate what happened with the Buneary. It was normal for a wild Pokémon to jump out at unsuspecting Trainers and their Pokémon. That's not what worried me, though.

That Buneary... it was out for blood. I have never seen a Pokémon act like that one had- even in Gym and Trainer battles. I don't know how to describe it, but there was something... off with it. Something was at work in it, but I don't know exactly what. Now that I think about it, the Buneary's speed, as well as attack strength was incredible.

Up ahead I saw the red roof of the Pokémon Center, and nodded to Shadow beside me. "Let's go." The two of us went inside, where we saw Cookie and Gi leaning against the wall. The Garchomp opened one of her eyes at me before standing up straight and nudging Cookie beside her. He blinked at me and the two of them went towards me.

Nurse Joy came in from the back and took one look at my Pokémon and me. "There was a Shinx that came in here a few moments ago. Did it belong to you by any chance?" She asked me. I nodded at her. "I see..." She hesitated. "Would you mind following me to the back?" I nodded again and she led me to the back of the building, where Bolt was. "If you would, what is your name?" She asked as we walked.

"Reagan," I answered simply. "Raegan Grace."

Nurse Joy nodded at that and stopped at a hallway. She glanced behind me at the rest of my Pokémon, who had been following me. "You three stay here," she told them, her voice firm. Cookie and Gi sighed and leaned against the wall once more. Shadow, however, would not listen to her. He walked to my side and looked up at me expectantly.

"I'm sorry, Shadow." I leaned down and touched his soft fur. "You stay here too." He bowed his head and slowly trudged along back to the other two.

"This way." I followed Nurse Joy down the hallway and stopped at a glass window overlooking a large white room. My eyes widened.

"Bolt..." I breathed. The Shinx was curled up on the bed inside, shivering violently. I could tell he was screaming, but was unable to hear it because of the thick glass. I placed a hand on the glass, staring at my Pokémon. He writhed back and forth, and now I could see that the bed he was in had a huge red stain on it; his injury on his back had opened up again. "Isn't there anything you can do? You're supposed to help Pokémon!" I shouted at Nurse Joy, tears stinging my eyes. I dared myself to tear my gaze away from my tortured Pokémon and glared at her.

"Miss Raegan, there are numerous Pokémon here in this hospital. I am doing the best I can."

"Then do better!" I yelled. Before I could even think, my hands were up as I pushed her away from me. Then I slammed open the door and grabbed Bolt. He was shaking so much that he fell from my arms and into the hard floor. I quickly lifted him up again.

"Raegan!" Nurse Joy shouted and reached for my Shinx. Her grip on him was strong, but I was stronger.

"No!" I screeched and stepped on her foot, hard. She let go of Bolt and hissed curses I would never dare to say out loud. I used this opportunity to storm out of there. "Come on!" I shouted to the rest of my Pokémon as I passed them in the hallway. None of them questioned it and raced after me. I charged through the doors and onto the street. Bolt was shivering even more now.

"Hey! Wait!" I tensed at the voice. It was coming from the Pokémon Center. I didn't even bother to look at the person and ran in the opposite direction. I heard footsteps behind, and knew that I was being chased.

"I just want to talk to you!" Like I was going to believe that! I kept running until I saw that the only one with me was Shadow. I glanced behind, noticing a woman, a few years older than me with long, dark red hair. Beside her were both Cookie and Gi. What does she want from me?! First she chases me, and then she gets my Pokémon to side with her!

I only ran faster. That is, until Gi and Cookie darted in front of me. I stopped and turned around, realizing that a Torkoal was on the other side, blocking any other exit. My gaze rested on the red-haired woman.

"What do you want?!" I demanded, and froze when Bolt let out another howl of pain. He opened his eyes, his pupils shrunk so small they were nearly impossible to see.

The woman's face softened as she saw Bolt in my arms. She quickly rushed over, and I was powerless to stop her. She reached and felt Bolt's head. "He has a fever," she told me.

"Yeah, I know that!" I snapped at her, but she went on.

"I am an employee at a Pokémon lab. We cure Pokémon there with vaccines and medicines only we know about." I said nothing, willing her to continue. "I believe that your Shinx is sick with a very... rare disease. If you would allow, I'd like to bring it there and help it."

How could I trust her? "I don't even know your name."

She stepped back. "I'm sorry. I'm Professor Rose, and you are...?"

I gritted my teeth and held back tears of anger. "If you want my name, it's Raegan! Now here!" I handed Bolt to her. "Help him, please. I can't have him suffer any more, so cure him!"

Professor Rose nodded and took Bolt in her arms. "I'll return him to you once he's all better," she said quickly before sending out a Braviary. The large bird gripped its talons onto her shoulders and lifted her into the air. She returned her Torkoal and I could only watch wordlessly as they disappeared from sight.


	3. 2- Zeke

It was three days. Three days have passed since the Shinx's death. No matter how many times Professor Rose told me it wasn't my fault, I knew it was. All of that work in medicine for nothing...

Currently I was on lunch break, and walking through a nearby park with Professor Rose. I hadn't said more than a few words during our walk, and didn't plan to. To be honest, I haven't said much of anything these past few days. And it seemed like everyone else realized this.

Mr. K, strangely enough, hadn't spoken a word ever since he heard of the Shinx that I had killed. He blames me. He knows it's my fault.

_It is my fault._

_I've should've done something! I shouldn't have ignored its condition. I should've-_

"Mr. Fletcher?" I started out of my thoughts and looked beside me at the redhead who was Professor Rose. Her hazel eyes searched my light brown ones worriedly. "You know it's not your fault, right? No one could have done better."

"Yes, I know!" I replied, a lot harsher than I had intended. She flinched at my tone, but I couldn't take it back. "All you've been telling me is 'it's not your fault' and 'you did your best.' And you know what? I don't believe those lies! I know what I did, and I know it's my fault!"

She stared at me blankly. Then my vision became blurred as tears formed in my eyes. I had never yelled at anybody like I did just now. And it wasn't even Professor Rose's fault; it was my own. I wiped my eyes quickly and glanced away. "I'm sorry about that..."

"It's alright. I understand." Her calming voice comforted me. "Let's talk about something else."

I nodded at what she said and looked forward again. My gaze drifted over the cobblestone road ahead of us. "Do you ever notice that Roy Greenstone has been missing lately?" I asked suddenly. _Where did that question come from?_

Professor Rose seemed to think. "Now that you mention it, he has been gone for the past few days. Maybe he's sick... Should we go to his house and check on him?"

I shook my head. "Not now. But in a few hours work will be done. We can go then."

Professor Rose nodded, agreeing with that answer. "Hey, is it alright if I ask you something?"

"Sure, go ahead." I scanned over the horizon.

"Okay... so I was sort of wondering..." I didn't even hear the rest of what she said because I had noticed something strange nearby.

It was black and gray, and had bright red eyes. Those eyes seemed to stare deep into my soul. Neither the creature nor I broke eye contact. Then, I realized, that even if I wanted to look away, I couldn't; some force was making me unable to move completely.

_Darkness. Silence. _Am I dreaming? Am I dead? _It was impossible to distinguish light from dark. _Who am I? _Then, from the corner of my eye I noticed a dark figure. How, I do not know, for everything around me was darkness. _

_Its long legs stretched down to earth, supporting a large torso. Thin arms came from its shoulders, with feathery wisps above them. Along its neck was a huge shape, resembling a large, gaping mouth covered in sharp fangs. As my gaze moved upwards I saw the head; small, but with a much larger wisp coming from the top. A single, beady red eye stared at me. _

_'Hello again,' __it spoke to me. '__Thank you for meeting... _us _here.'_

_"Us?" I echoed. From what I could see, there was nothing here except for me and this... _monster.

_The creature stepped back and the faint outline of a man stepped forward. "Hello again... _Zeke Fletcher."

"_Zeke!_" Professor Rose had jumped in front of me and shook me firmly. "Zeke Fletcher!" Instantly I broke out of my trance and blinked.

"What? What happened?" I glanced at her, where she returned my confused look. I rubbed my head a bit in pain.

"_You _happened, that's what!" The redhead sighed. "I'm sorry. You just blanked out for a few minutes. Are you feeling okay?" She placed a hand to my cheeks to check my temperature. "You are feeling a bit warm."

I moved my face away from her. "I'm fine..." I said. "There's nothing wrong with- Ah!" I clutched my head as a spasm of pain overtook it. My knees buckled out from underneath me, and I would have fallen had it not been for Professor Rose stepping in front and catching me.

"You are not fine." She put my arm around her shoulders to help me back to my feet. I leaned on her as we started going back to our work building.

"Rose... it's fine..." I began weakly. I felt her stiffen beside me as I called her her name without any sort of title. "_Professor _Rose, I mean..." I hesitated before continuing. "It's just a small headache."

"Really?" She turned her head towards me and raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. "You can barely walk by yourself right now, so what makes you think I'll believe that?"

I sighed quietly to myself, my breath shifting a small strand of my own hair. _It was worth a shot... _The truth was, I always felt a bit uncomfortable around the Professor. Yes, she was sweet and pretty, and I really enjoyed her company, but she just reminded me too much of _her._

Emerald green eyes gazed at me gently from my memories long ago.

_"Great work Zeke! You're halfway through college. At this rate, you'll be done with school in no time!" She hugged me and looked at me with her emerald eyes. "I love you so much, Zeke._

_"If only your father was still here..." _

And then, the memory faded away slowly, leaving me in the bright sunlight of today. "I need to go back to work," I told Professor Rose.

The woman hesitated before eventually nodding and changing her course from the direction of my home. After a few moments of walking in silence, we arrived and Professor Rose opened the door for us.

By now I could somewhat stand on my own, but it was still hard. Eventually I made my way through the hallways and to the elevator, where I pressed the button to go down. Professor Rose caught this and quickly pressed the up button to make up for my simple mistake. "Thank goodness you're here otherwise I would never have gotten to where I'm supposed to be," I tried to joke with her, but her only reply was an unamused sigh.

I cleared my throat and shuffled my feet uncomfortably before the doors opened up, letting the two of us in. I went inside and pressed the button for the second floor. It was then that my phone rang. I glanced at Professor Rose, confused. She only shrugged in return so I answered the call. "Hello? Who is this?"

"Did you seriously not check the caller I.D.?" Came a voice that I knew all too well as Mr. K. I sighed and was about to answer before he continued. "By the way, someone needs to speak with you at the bottom floor- _now._"

The call ended, leaving me with my phone up to my ear like an idiot, staring at the wall with a confused expression. _Ooo-kayyy... That wasn't weird at all..._

I turned my attention back to Professor Rose as I placed my phone back in my pocket. "Who was it?" She asked curiously.

I shook my head. "No one," I replied. She nodded and left it at that, although I could see the clear suspicion she had in her gaze. However, she knew better than to question it. Even doing so much as asking who I was talking to would be enough to get into trouble, and she knew that.

The elevator dinged and the doors opened up. Professor Rose stepped out, but I lingered behind a bit and pressed the button for the first floor. "Ze- I mean Mr. Fletcher?" She asked and turned around to see me.

"I have to go back down," was all I told her as the doors started to close again.

Her eyes widened in surprise. "Wait! Mr. Fle-" The doors closed completely, interrupting what she was going to say to me. I sighed, now alone in this elevator. Thank goodness I wasn't claustrophobic or else who knows how I would've felt.

After a few moments of silence, the doors opened again, letting me out onto the first floor. I stepped out and pressed the down button along the wall. Immediately a different elevator opened up and I tentatively stepped inside it.

Strangely enough, the only button inside was shaped like a small raindrop. Seeing as there was no other choice, I reached out and pressed it. Nothing happened, so I pressed it again. It seemed to work this time, and the doors closed rather quickly. He button glowed an eerie red, and it was the only source of light, as the lightbulbs on the ceiling seemed to have burnt out.

And then, the elevator froze suddenly. I waited for the doors to open back up, but they never did.

"Hey!" I shouted and pounded on the walls, door, everything. Of course, no one came. Why would anyone come? And then, to make my situation worse, the red light of the button flickered once, twice, before it, too, disappeared, leaving me in complete darkness. With no light, I felt around me for a wall to lean on.

_That's odd... I'm sure that the elevator wasn't this large... _No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't even feel a single wall. It was if the elevator had... disappeared.

I didn't even know that I was still walking until I saw bright lights all around me. It happened so suddenly, that I winced from the pain of unexpected light. Somewhere nearby I could feel the intense stare of someone- or rather, some_thing_\- boring into me.

I snapped my head around quickly, seeing nothing but the darkness behind. With every step I took, the light surrounding me moved as well, almost like a spotlight watching my every move.

It sent shivers down my spine at the thought.

I continued walking, and eventually saw a strange shape up ahead. My pace quickened, glad to finally see something in this vast place. As I came closer, I made out the shape of a large office chair.

I slowed to a stop several meters behind it.

"Hello," a voice said to me. It sounded hoarse and scratchy, like it hadn't been used in a while.

I cleared my throat nervously. "Hello?" I replied back, wondering who this person was. The voice sounded familiar, but...

A hand came from the side of the chair in a bored matter. "I hear that you've been studying Pokérus?"

I nodded, only to remember that the person couldn't see my through his chair. "Yes."

"Ah, that's good to hear. I have something for you..."

"What is it...?"

"I would like for you to go and explore Sinnoh. Bring your strongest Pokémon to battle and contain the infected Pokémon. You may study them while you're out, but don't forget to report to me what you discover. I trust you most, which is why I'm asking you. I know you can do it." Finally I recognized the voice.

"Yes, of course, Sir," I replied and bowed low to show respect.

The man in the chair turned around, allowing me to see him completely. My eyes widened. "Roy?" I asked in disbelief. _Wait... it can't be, can it? I haven't seen or heard from Roy in a while, but I know that his voice doesn't sound like that... _I narrowed my eyes at him. "You aren't Roy! What did you do to him!"

The man merely laughed. "My, it seems like you catch on fast..." To my horror, his face began to drop down, as if it was melting. His green hair fell out, strand by strand, until there was none left. His orange eyes slowly fell from his face, leaving me gawking in shock. I was too terrified to move; too terrified to even make a sound.

"Darkrai- get him," was the last thing I heard. The man's lips pursed together into a smile- a gleeful smile.

Something came over me, from the inside. Immense pain shot everywhere throughout my body. I didn't even have time to gasp for breath-

I started awake, gasping for air. Sweat covered my face, and my whole body felt stiff. Professor Rose was with me, along with Mr. K and a few other scientists.

"Mr. Fletcher, are you feeling alright?" Asked a man who I didn't know. I turned to look at her, and my head rolled sideways. Professor Rose gasped and turned to the others.

I wasn't even able to hear her as I was overcome with two feelings. The first being the sudden desire to go out; To go out and analyze infected Pokémon, more specifically.

The second? I was unable to form words as sleep took control of me, sending me to a dreamless slumber.

**Okay... wow. So much has happened in this chapter, as well as we get a small hint at Zeke's past. **

**And what in the world happened to Roy Greenstone? Who is he?**

**Maybe some things are better left unsaid...**


	4. 3- Zeke

I picked up the red-and-white spherical objects on my desk with no effort to try to open them and see the creatures inside. At my feet, a violet creature stood, watching me worried. Her large ears shifted back and forth, while her long, forked tail waved back and forth in anticipation... or was it anxiousness?

"Eon?" The Espeon wondered aloud, her red jewel glowing the tiniest bit as I felt her trying to read through my thoughts. I ignored Astrid's futile attempts to calm me down.

I glanced over everything else. _This should be the last of it. . . _I thought, my gaze landing upon a dark blue device. It was shaped like a phone, with my company's logo in a sticker on the back. I turned it on and scanned through it. A short list of only about 10 people greeted me. I sighed and turned it off before shoving the upgraded Pokétch in my pocket.

It was dark, and I was the only one here in the building still. Professor Rose has told me that she was waiting outside for me to go and check on Roy Greenstone. I surveyed the area once again before walking towards the elevator, Astrid following slowly, her head uncharacteristically low.

The doors closed around my Pokémon and I, as we waited for them to open back up and release us on the bottom floor. They eventually did, and the two of us walked to the doors. I unlocked them and pushed them open before relocking them behind us.

Professor Rose glanced up from a nearby bench and smiled as she saw me. "Hey," she greeted, her Braviary uttering the same greeting. The large bird shook out its feathers before closing its eyes in a bored expression. I rolled my eyes at it; for some reason, the giant eagle never seemed to like me much. Maybe it was overprotective of Professor Rose? Well, whatever the reason, I tried to stay away from it.

I nodded at her. That seemed to be enough for her; I haven't really said much of anything all day.

"Great!" She failed to notice my large backpack on my back, in it containing practically my whole desk. "Remember that we were going to go check on Roy Greenstone?" She asked as we began to walk.

My footing stumbled at the mention of that name. Yes, I vaguely remember that conversation, but something told me to not go to see how he was. Something bad-

"Come _on!_" Rose said, annoyed, and hurried ahead, just like we were kids again. "You're going too slow!"

I sighed and hurried after her. I could feel the tips of my lips curve upwards in a barely-noticeable smile. Astrid was right on my heels as we raced after Rose. Her Braviary soared in the sky above us, many miles up. It sped ahead of the three of us, not that we cared much.

We slowed down after several long minutes of endless running. "This is it, right?" Professor Rose questioned me for confirmation, breathing heavily. I nodded and knocked on the door. Behind, I heard the unmistakable sound of Professor Rose returning her Braviary back into his Pokéball. It was much too large to safely walk through the small house.

No answer. I tried again.

And again.

And again.

"Veon?" Astrid asked, looking up at me. I gave her a tiny nod, to which she replied by immediately closing her eyes as her red gem began to glow. From inside, I heard a _click_ as the door's lock, well, unlocked. I slowly twisted the door handle, mentally noting that it was difficult to open. _Almost as if it hasn't been opened in a while. . . _I took one step in, then another.

"Mr. Greenstone?" Professor Rose called as we walked in, hand in hand. We were met with only unnerving quietness.

The floor creaked with each footstep we took. The walls were a light cream color, not at all matching the somber feel of the place. The lights were off, and the silence was deafening.

"I'll look for him upstairs," Professor Rose told me and began to pull away. Our hands lingered together for a moment longer before she turned away from me. My hand felt strangely cold without her's around it.

She took no more than five steps away when I felt my phone vibrate with a text message. I fished it out from my pocket only to see that there was nothing. _Strange. . ._

Astrid, who I had forgotten was still with me, suddenly let out a loud cry of pain and fell to the ground, her large ears folded back. Her paws covered her head as if it would help with the discomfort.

The loud, panicked footsteps of Professor Rose echoed throughout the house, adding rhythm to my Espeon's wailing in an uncomfortable way. "Zeke!" She shouted in fear and ran down the stairs. The moment her heel hit the ground on the bottom, Astrid suddenly fell to the ground.

Professor Rose's hands went to her mouth, shock clear on her face.

I quickly grabbed Astrid's Poké Ball and held it up. My thump pressed the button in the middle, and for a few seconds the only sound was the noise of the Pokémon being recalled.

The two of us shared a look, neither of us saying anything. After a few seconds, Professor Rose broke the silence. "I wasn't able to look in any of the rooms upstairs; I heard the shouting and I thought something had happened to you. . ."

I nodded at her and put my hand on her shoulder gently. "That's alright." Those were the first words I had spoken in the last few hours. "I don't know exactly what's going on." I spared a glance at the stairs leading upstairs. "But with a loud sound like that, there's no way anyone could've slept through it. I have this strange feeling that we're not supposed to be here, and that something really bad happened."

Professor Rose bit her lip and nodded silently. "I guess that's true. . ." She hesitated before adding, "To be honest, I had the same feeling from the moment we stepped in here." She gulped nervously. "If anything, we can call the police and have them look into it."

I nodded. "Their job is to look into mysteries like this."

"Like the mystery of Pokérus?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

I sighed and shook my head. "No. That is one thing the public cannot know of, at all costs. Who knows what kind of things people would do if they found out?" A small memory my brother told me long ago came back; there would people much like Team Plasma who would try to free Pokémon. Or even like Team Flare and try to create a new world free of Pokémon or anything else.

As the two of us were walking back outside, Professor Rose cast a sideways glance at me. "Are you alright?"

I turned to her and nodded. "Of course I'm alright. What makes you think that I'm not?"

"Well. . ." She seemed to hesitate. "You seem pretty calm about Astrid fainting like that."

I gave her a tiny, weak smile. "Pokémon faint all the time. Trainers just keep smiling and living their day like nothing happened. I'm still worried, but if people go through things like this every day, there's no reason for me not to."

She still seemed nervous. "But Your Espeon isn't trained in battling," I heard her mutter quietly, but ignored it. I had faith in Astrid.

"Don't worry about her. I'll take her to a Pokémon Center in the morning."

The nineteen-year-old redhead blinked at me. "Alright. I trust that you know what you're doing. You are a doctor, after all." She gave me a smile, but I could see that it was forced.

"Stop," I told her and turned away. We were well away from the house now. "I am not. A real doctor- a real person who would help others- wouldn't let any of their patients die like I did. I don't deserve to be called that."

"Zeke-"

"No. I need to leave." And I walked away without another word, ignoring the guilt growing in my chest. No matter how I felt, I never snapped like that. I could feel her gaze watching me as I left her there alone, but I didn't care. I was tired of hearing stupid things like the fact that I didn't do anything wrong, that it wasn't my fault.

• • • • •

About twenty minutes later, I opened the door to my apartment room. Cold air blew across my face, and I silently cursed myself for leaving the AC on all day. I quickly turned it off and threw my bag beside my bed.

I took a few steps before plopping face-first down on my bed. I sighed loudly into the comforters and closed my eyes.

A few moments passed and I reluctantly sat up in my bed. I gazed at the room I had grown to love in these past few years. _This is it. _I stood up. _This is my last night in this place. _

I walked to my small closet and took out the six shirts inside it. I put five of those into my backpack from work, leaving one still out, and looked around one more time. I grabbed my one pair of jeans and put them into the bag as well. I gave a loud sigh before going into the bathroom.

I turned the water on as I undressed, and stepped into the warm shower several seconds later. The calming feel of the water washed away all of my thoughts and insecurities. Here, I felt safe. Here, I forgot my past. Here, I was a normal person.

Here, I wasn't a murderer.

I turned the water back off and dried myself with a towel. After, I threw on a T-shirt and shorts and brushed my teeth before turning the light off. I went back to my bed and laid down in it.

The room felt even more empty now that I had taken everything and put it all into my bag; now that I knew I wasn't going to stay here any longer.

I turned my head, viewing an old photograph inside a frame. The frame itself was relatively new compared to the photo, which was singed on the edges.

But it wasn't that that made me tear up.

The picture had three people in it. The one furthest left was a woman who looked a lot younger than she really was. Her bluish hair came down to the length of her elbows. Her gray eyes were looking down at a small baby in her arms.

The baby had his eyes closed as he slept. His blue hair matched the woman's perfectly, and it would have been nearly impossible to deny that they were related.

Beside the woman was a man. He had the same gray eyes, and dark gray hair. A white scarf was tied around his already-pale neck. His right arm was draped over the shoulders of the woman, while the left was on the forehead of the baby she was holding.

I could almost see the picture coming alive, the voices and movements so real.

_"He's beautiful, isn't he?" The woman asked her husband beside her. She gazed down at the child in her arms, her face full of pride and joy at having given birth to such a perfect boy. _

_"He is," the man agreed and ran his fingers gently over the child's head. The baby stirred slightly with the touch but didn't wake. _

_The woman closed her eyes for a moment and leaned into her husband. "You two are the boys I love most."_

_The man laughed softly, careful not to wake the baby. "Careful not to let Barry hear you," he told her good-humoredly. _

_The woman broke away from him and hit his arm teasingly. "You know that he doesn't like me like that."_

_"I don't know," her husband mused. "Remember how mad he seemed at our wedding?"_

_The woman sighed at the memory, a small smile coming to her face. "He was my best friend and acted like a brother to me. It wouldn't surprise me if he was a bit upset for something like that."_

_The man sighed, knowing there was no point in arguing. The woman realized this and beamed even more. _

_She looked back at the child in her arms and whispered to him. "You're going to grow up to be big and handsome, just like your father, Aron. Every girl will line up to be your wife, and those lines will stretch for miles."_

_The man smiled to himself and kissed his wife's cheek. "With someone like me as his father, there's no way any girl could resist him." As if to prove his statement, he winked at the woman, to which she responded by turning away. _

_"I'm not so sure about that," she said, trying to hide her blush. _

_"Aw, come on." The man leaned his head on her shoulder and looked at her. "You know you love me."_

_"Do I?" The woman tried to keep her stern composure, but it all failed when she caught sight of her husband frowning in mock hurt. She giggled. "Yes, yes I do." And with that, she kissed his forehead. _

_The two looked at each other for a long moment when the child in her arms woke up. The woman broke her gaze away from her husband and instead focused on the baby- Aron._

_"I'll be back," she told the man and kissed him again before standing up, carrying a crying baby Aron. _

_The man watched her leave and sighed quietly to himself. His eyes closed as he breathed in the autumn air, content with his life. _

Before I could imagine any more, I had cried myself to sleep.

**This was a little sad to write, I'm being honest. Especially the last part with the three people. **

**I feel super bad for Zeke, honestly! He has such a sad past, not to mention that he thinks he's a horrible person for accidentally letting a Shinx die with him. Also, I feel bad for Raegan (I guess).**

**Random question: Who is your favorite character so far in the story?**

**For me, it would have to be Zeke so far, but that's just me. **

**Anyway, thank you all so much for reading and I'll see you all in the next update!**


	5. Character Info- Raegan Grace

**Raegan, one of our two protagonists in this story.**

**Gender**: Female

**Age**: Fifteen (15)

**Home region**: Sinnoh

**Personality**: She is a hotheaded girl. She never thinks before acting, and that often harms her and her Pokémon Team. She is quick on her feet and never hesitates to voice her opinion or protect those she is close to. She is reluctant to share her name with people she doesn't know.

**Birthday**: March 31

**Appearance**: She is the average height for female fifteen-year-olds. She has a round face with soft crystal-blue eyes. Her long, wavy hair is a pretty auburn color.

**Goal**: What she wants more than anything is to become the strongest Trainer ever.

**Accomplishments**: She has all eight Sinnoh Gym Badges, and is well on her way to challenging the Elite Four. Only lost two battles ever.

**Strengths**: She is quick to react, and fast in terms of speed. Self-reliant and strong. Slow to trust others.

**Weaknesses**: She charges headfirst without thinking about what might happen. Very reckless and impatient. She doesn't like depending on others for help, despite her Pokémon's condition.

**Pokémon Team**:

• SHADOW\- *Shiny* Umbreon

Male Lv. 58 "Inner Focus" Ability

Serious Nature "Proud of its power"

Moves: Last Resort/ Double-Edge/ Shadow Ball/ Psychic

• GI\- Garchomp

Female Lv. 52 "Sand Veil" Ability

Mild Nature "Hates to lose"

Moves: Dragon Claw/ Dig/ Sandstorm/ Iron Tail

• COOKIE\- Infernape

Male Lv. 49 "Blaze" Ability

Hasty Nature "Likes to run"

Moves: Flare Blitz/ Close Combat/ Gunk Shot/ Fire Spin

• ONYX\- Onix

Male Lv. 48 "Rock Head" Ability

Calm Nature "Likes to relax"

Moves: Rock Tomb/ Earthquake/ Iron Tail/ Double-Edge

• ROSELYNN\- Roserade

Female Lv. 52 "Poison Point" Ability

Sassy Nature "Somewhat vain"

Moves: Petal Dance/ Toxic Spikes/ Aromatherapy/ Attract

• BOLT\- Shinx

Male Lv. 8 "Intimidate" Ability

Timid Nature "Alert to sounds"

Moves: Tackle/ Leer/ Quick Attack

**Other Pokémon**:

• POWER Gyrados Male

• STAR Staravia Female

• REX Cranidos Male

• LY Gengar Female


	6. 4- Raegan

"Come on, Cookie! I know you can do better!"

The Infernape growled in my direction before firing another Flare Blitz at a tree. Like earlier, he stumbled and held his arm as if he was in pain. I sighed quietly.

"Cookie, if you don't want to battle, then tell me now," I told him. His eyes widened at my suggestion before he quickly stood back up, brushing away his pain. However, his unsure footing didn't go unnoticed by me.

With a loud roar, the Infernape shot yet another Flare Blitz, it hitting the tree squarely in the center. I could only watch with a satisfied expression as the tree crashed down to the earth, sending up a huge pile of dust everywhere. The leaves and grass around it began to smoke up with the promise of fire.

With a nod to Onyx, the Rock Snake Pokémon lifted his head up as rocks were created above him. He then sent those rocks flying towards the fiery tree by hitting them with his tail. I put my hand up to block my face and when I moved it down I noticed that Onyx's Rock Tomb attack had put out the small fire.

"Good job," I told both of them, moving towards Cookie. I placed my hand on his shoulder gently. "You go ahead and take a rest, okay?" Cookie nodded, trying not to seem to eager to leave me.

I sighed and turned my attention to Onyx. "You should go train with Gi. Try to perfect your accuracy in her Sandstorm, and then come back to me once you've done that." Onyx nodded at what I said and lowered his head down to meet mine. I smiled and rubbed the top of his head. "Go on."

"On! Onix!" He cheered before turning and leaving in the direction of Gi. If I remember correctly, the Garchomp was a little bit away, trying to work on her Sandstorm and Dragon Claw. I knew she would be working hard, so there was no need for me to go check and see how she was doing.

"Rose!" I heard the familiar complaining of my one and only Roserade, Roselynn. I closed my eyes and made my way to where she was.

She was glaring, arms crossed, at Shadow. A large frown was evident on her face. Shadow, however, only growled lightly at her. His ears were back and eyes were narrowed. Like me, he was obviously not happy with her little effort.

"Roselynn," I called her name out sternly. At the sound of my voice both Pokémon looked at me. Shadow seemed to relax slightly, while Roselynn's eyes flashed with fear and guilt for a second before turning away, arms still crossed. "Hey, if you don't train now, then I'll make you do more work later."

The Roserade flinched slightly, and I smirked, knowing I'd hit a nerve. "You're my strongest Grass- Type. I need you to be your best, so that's why I'm having you do this."

Roselynn hung her head down in defeat as her arms dropped down to her sides. Then she slowly lifted her head to face me, her eyes narrowed and full of anger. She didn't even blink or look away as she lifted her left arm towards Shadow. The three flowers on the end glowed and almost immediately every single petal on them flew off.

She kept glaring at me with hatred as I watched her beautiful attack. The petals swirled around the air several times, slowly but surely moving towards Shadow. Then they all circled around him and came inwards, making it impossible to avoid. When the petals finally fell to the ground, Shadow was still standing. He had several cuts, but none of them seemed too bad.

I walked over and picked up a small handful of the fallen petals. I sighed as I saw that only a fourth of them were actually stiff enough to deal any damage. Shadow lifted his head up to meet my gaze, thinking the same thing as I was.

"Roselynn." The Roserade didn't seem to hear. She was focusing on regineratung more petals to her flowers and succeeded a few seconds later. I tried again. "Roselynn."

She crossed her arms and glared at me. "Rade?" She asked me in a sarcastic manner. She quickly brushed off her flower cape, seeing a bit of dirt on it.

I fought the urge to yell at her. Instead, I took a large breath and pinched the bridge of my nose before speaking. "Please, _please_ try working a bit more on your Petal Dance attack. I know you can do better." She made no movement or reply, but I knew that she heard me. "Shadow, use Shadow Ball."

The gray-and-blue Umbreon happily obliged and created a Shadow Ball in front of him. He then opened his mouth and with a very loud "Breooonn!" he fired the attack at Roselynn.

"Now dodge it and use Petal Dance!" I told the Roserade. She glared in my direction before quickly jumping to the side to avoid the attack. She crossed her arms again and lifted her head into the air indignantly.

"Rose- a- _rade_."

I groaned at her attitude and looked over at Shadow, then back at her. "Good job," I forced myself to say, though my teeth were gritted. I saw Roselynn turn her head to look at me. I felt my hands clench into fists as I spoke my next words. "Both of you, take a break. And Roselynn," I stared directly at her. "Listen to me next time, or you'll have to do extra training."

Pleased with the slight flash of fear in her eyes, I turned around and started to walk without another word. Shadow bounded up to walk beside me. He let out a low grunt, causing me to glance down at him.

"What?"

"Umbree," he growled softly and turned his head away from me.

I sighed. Did all of my Pokémon really hate me? I watched him for a few moments, trying to figure out what might be going through his head. "You think I was too rough on Roselynn, don't you?" I guessed.

Shadow gave a quiet, tiny nod, still looking away from me.

"Seriously? I know for a fact that you were doing the exact same thing as I was. And that you were telling her the same things as I did."

Shadow said nothing to this, knowing that I was right. He gave another low growl before running ahead to rest from training.

As I caught up to him, I saw that Cookie was already there. He glanced up at me for a second before continuing to eat his Sitrus Berry. Shadow was a few meters away from him, eating his own Berry.

A few seconds later the bushes rustled and Gi and Onyx came to us. Roselynn was riding on Onyx's back, chattering in an angry tone, most likely complaining to him what I did.

Gi caught Cookie's gaze and smirked. She grabbed two Sitrus Berries and ran to sit beside him. "Garchomp!" She told him and then hurried to eat the two Berries as fast as she could. Cookie did the same to his first Berry and reached for another to scarf down.

I rolled my eyes at their small race. It seemed like they always found a way to make anything a competition.

Onyx and Roselynn were a little bit away from the rest of us. Onyx was silently eating his snack while Roselynn kept chatting nonstop. Occasionally Onyx would nod at something she said, but other than that, he remained still.

Shadow got up and moved to sit beside me. I gave him a silent smile and scratched behind his ears, earning a soft rumble of gratitude in return. I laughed gently and closed my eyes. I felt Shadow rest his head on my lap.

"Breon?" He questioned.

I opened my eyes back up and glanced at him. I smiled at him but didn't say anything. I just. . . was thinking.

More specifically, I was thinking about Bolt.

The Shinx was so small and timid when he first saw me. And then he chose to leave the safety of Tristian and his Luxray to travel with me. He trusted that I could protect him.

And yet, only an hour after gaining Bolt's trust, he was attacked- because of my own false judgement. He nearly died because of me.

Then I took him to the person I thought I could trust; Nurse Joy. That was a huge mistake, as she only seemed to make him worse.

Professor Rose seemed kind. I knew that she could help take care of Bolt; that she wouldn't let anything happen to him. I just wish I could have found out where it is that she works.

To be honest, I missed the blue cub's presence. I hadn't known him for a long time like I knew Shadow, but there was still this strange feeling I got when I thought of him.

I know he's safe. I just. . . well, I guess I just want to see him again.

• • • • •

The six of us woke up early the next morning. Of course, Cookie was laughing at Gi for some reason. If I were to guess, I'd say it was because he woke up before her. She countered with her own remark about how she was a lot better than him. Their bickering went on for quite a while, but I didn't really mind; I was used to it for a while now.

I let my gaze travel over my team as I gathered everything to leave. Other than Roselynn, everybody seemed to be ready to take on the Elite Four. I smiled to myself.

_Today's the day I accomplish my dream. Today's the day I finally become Champion of Sinnoh!_

The current Champion was somebody named Verity.

She wasn't really supposed to be the Champion. . .

The Champion before her was a man named Lucas. I wasn't born yet when he took the title from Cynthia, but I heard stories of how the whole region cheered when he announced his engagement to the Sinnoh Pokémon Professor, Professor Dawn.

The two had two sons together. I don't remember their names, because I really don't care.

But about four years ago, there was a large fire that engulfed their home and everyone inside. They were never found, and the region was left Professorless and Championless.

A girl named Verity took over for Lucas as the Champion. Not everyone fully accepted her, as she never really earned that title, but what other choice did they have? There were a few that believed that she would be a great Champion, as her mother was none other than the famous Champion Cynthia. So far she has proved her worth more times than once, but every single mistake, no matter how small or trivial, made people mad. It really wasn't fair.

Verity's good friend and Dawn's apprentice Sorrel took up the role as Sinnoh's Professor. He was never treated with as much disrespect as Verity, but there were still some who had their suspicions about him.

"Um- Umbreon." I blinked at Shadow's voice and looked at him.

"Sorry," I told him, petting his ear. I smiled, embarrassed. "I was just lost in thought. . . again."

Shadow sighed and licked my hand for a second before continuing forward.

I grinned. We _will _win!

• • • • •

Shadow fell to the ground, defeated. I stared at his fallen shape.

"We. . . lost?"

Robyn smiled as she pet her Staraptor. "Great work," she congratulated the large bird and returned it to its Poké Ball. She turned to me, her light brown hair still a but messed up from her Pokémon's Tailwind. "I'm sorry that you had to lose like this. You were very close to defeating me too."

I hardly even heard her. We spent _all day_ yesterday training, plus everything we've done before then. We got all eight gym badges together!

_And I was so sure I would win._

Without another word I returned Shadow and started to leave, my head down and facing the ground.

"Hey, wait!" I heard Robyn's singsong voice. She grabbed my shoulder to talk to me, but I wouldn't let her.

I whirled around and pushed her arm away. "Leave me _alone!"_

Her soft green eyes widened a bit in fear and surprise. She stepped back and let me leave.

I felt her gaze stare into me as I exited the building. My hand squeezed around Shadow's Poké Ball angrily.

_We should've won! If only-_

"Excuse me, can you please help me?"

**So Raegan's great mission isn't going all as she planned. She lost...**

**To her, losing is a big deal. It means that she isn't strong enough. And for someone like her who trains 24/7, losing is like she herself died. **

**Be ready to have her meet Zeke in the next chapter!**

**(I'm not ready... oh no...)**


	7. Character Info- Zeke Fletcher

**Ah, and here is our other protagonist- Zeke Fletcher.**

Gender: Male

Age: Sixteen (16)

Home region: Sinnoh

Personality: Zeke is usually very calm and level-headed. He is also shown to be very smart and thinks things over once, twice, sometimes even three times before making a decision. He depends on his Pokémon partner, Astrid, as well as Professor Rose in the labs. He doesn't like violence, and would much rather choose the peaceful way out of things. He has trust in his Pokémon, and secretly wishes that everyone would view him as a normal person.

Birthday: September 4

Appearance: Tan skin and a bit tall for his age. He has a narrow chin and soft hands. His hair is messy an dark brown. His eyes are a lighter brown.

Goal: He has no specific goal. He really just wants to help people and Pokémon more than anything.

Accomplishments: He is very gifted in intelligence and healing. He graduated from college at the age of thirteen.

Strengths: He is very smart and patient. He hardly ever raises his voice and somehow always manages to keep his cool. He is not quick to forget either, but this is both an asset and a liability.

Weaknesses: He often thinks too much on things. He blames himself a lot and is always willing to sacrifice himself so that others won't get hurt- even if he hardly even knows them. He has excellent memory. While others might see this as a good thing, he views it more as a curse. There are somethings in his past that he would rather forget and move on from...

Pokémon Team:

• ASTRID- Espeon

Female Lv. 32 "Synchronize" Ability

Gentle Nature "Highly curious"

Moves: Yawn/ Psychic/ Helping Hand/ Future Sight

**I actually rather like these small little chapters of info.**

**This is Zeke's information. Let me know if you want more info on any of the other characters!**


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